Nearly 500 people receive COVID-19 vaccine during two-day distribution
Apr. 11—SELINSGROVE — Susquehanna University freshman Jacob Rockoff was among 500 people who received a COVID-19 vaccination distributed by Snyder County on Friday and Saturday at the Selinsgrove Center.
"You walk in and there's a bunch of professionals. It took 15 minutes and (the shot) didn't hurt," said Rockoff, a Kennett Square resident who has suffered from a lung ailment since birth. "I'm very glad to have the first dose."
County Emergency Management Coordinator Derick Shambach worked with local and state officials to get 1,500 Moderna vaccines from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is overseeing the clinics which began Friday and will be held between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at 145 Meadow Circle at the Selinsgrove Center for the next several weeks.
"Appointments are filling up quickly," he said. "I knew there was a need for it."
The county received $55,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund the clinic. A registered nurse from Family Practice Center and Dauntless Hook & Ladder (DH&L) Ambulance League certified paramedics administered the vaccines.
Kathi Pollock, a DH&L emergency medical technician, watched over groups of people as they sat for 15 minutes after receiving their vaccination. Each individual will return in 28 days for the second dose.
She told them that side effects could include aches, fever, chills, or "nothing at all." No one had an immediate adverse reaction, Pollock said.
Construction worker Colton Wendt, 27, of Selinsgrove, said he wanted to get the vaccine so he could continue working.
"I had a scare a few weeks ago and I don't want to get sick. This keeps me safe and everyone else," he said.
Wendt said the process of signing up for the vaccine and getting the shot was simple.
"It took me about 20 minutes to sign up," he said, adding that he "didn't feel a thing" when registered nurse Michelle Lontz, of Family Practice Center in Mifflinburg, administered the vaccine.
Tom Rigel, 62, of Beaver Springs was also pleased with the ease of getting innoculated.
"It was quick. They zip you through," he said.
Commissioners Chuck Steininger and Adam Ewig visited the clinics on Friday and Saturday and were also impressed with how they went and the positive feedback they've received.
Steininger said he got a call Friday from a veteran who lauded the clinic as being the most well-run he's experienced.
"People are just so happy it's taking place," he said.
Ewig, who received his first vaccine on Friday and later experienced some soreness at the injection site, encourages "anyone who wants the vaccine should take advantage" of the county clinics.
As of Saturday morning, 2,299,256 Pennsylvanians were fully vaccinated and 4,127,397 people had received at least their first dose, according to the Center for Disease Control.
